We're on our way!

What a ride!

The SunPort Kickstarter campaign was the most amazing and rewarding experience, not just for the financial backing we received from all of you, but also for the connections we made and the wonderful dialog we had with so many backers and other interested fans. We learned so much about what people see in SunPort and what they want to know. We got a glimpse of people’s hopes and aspirations, as well as some people’s skepticism and even cynicism. The learning and interaction was something that we expected, but had no idea how significant it would be. Many of you were some of the people who taught us and questioned us, so thanks for going to the effort.

SunPort Team from earlier this year

A week has passed since we successfully finished the campaign and most of you have not heard from us since it ended, but have no fear! We have not forgotten you. Thank you for your patience while we caught our collective breath on this end and also caught up on a bit of our sleep deficit of the past few months. Once the adrenaline started to fade, it was hard to stay energized, after having pushed so hard for so many weeks. In truth, we didn’t really take a break this past week, we just dialed it back a bit so we were only working 8-10 hour days, rather than 16+ hours. But now it’s back to work in earnest!

What’s next?

Over the next couple weeks, there are a few preliminary steps to complete, plus we have many plans and decisions to make. We have been in dialog with our factory about proceeding on our safety testing and certification and they’re ready to go. First, we’re waiting to receive funding from Kickstarter though, which should be coming in the next week or so. Getting this funding step completed is key, because it triggers a series of other steps that can’t proceed until we get funds in hand here at SunPort.

By the way, some of you may hear from Kickstarter about an expired credit card or other obstruction preventing them from processing your payment. Please attend to this quickly if they contact you, because delays at this step are just “sand in the gears” that slows down the whole process and costs extra effort and trouble. We would prefer not to have to chase down individual backers, so your consideration getting payment made will be appreciated.

Some of you have asked about SunPort colors, T-shirt sizes, etc., which are understandable concerns. Don’t worry, we know we’ll need this info to proceed, but not quite yet. First we need to get our reward matrix organized and then we will be sending out surveys to make sure we have all the pertinent information needed from each of you. We prefer to collect this information in an orderly way, so nothing gets missed or lost.

We have also had questions about getting additional SunPorts and other items. If you just can’t wait, you can choose to preorder from our website (www.sunport.co/shop) but this is not what we recommend. When we contact you with the surveys, we will also provide an opportunity to get more SunPorts and other items at special backer prices, which will be more attractive than the pre-order pricing on our website. Of course, if you want to add some items for your friends or family at the special backer prices at that time, you can feel free to do so.

What we want from you

It is our hope that this Kickstarter campaign is the beginning of a connection, interaction and relationships between all of you who backed us, the SunPort team and the larger community of people concerned about earth stewardship. Virtually everyone involved in this campaign, both backers and SunPort team members, is seeking a higher purpose than just exclusively self interests. More than anything, SunPort is about the cause of accelerating the shift to solar power and as quickly as possible and bringing a tipping point for solar energy. This is a cause that transcends each of us and includes even those yet unborn who also have a stake in our planet’s future.

With this in mind, please make the effort and take the time to connect and interact, as we form this community. We want questions, ideas and comments (yes, even the uncomfortable ones). We want to create a conversation and dialog amongst the whole community, interacting around the challenges, questions and issues that have drawn us together. We’]\ll strive to provide some structure and leadership from our end here at SunPort, but we want to hear from others and see this community unfold as something that is of, by and for all of us. We’ll do our best to facilitate and build a community, but it is ultimately up to each one of you as members of that community, to make it work and grow beyond SunPort.

Meeting with Congresswoman Lujan Grisham

This is a very different goal than is typical for a commercial venture, but it is necessary if we’re really trying to cause a tipping point for solar energy. We all need to take steps to draw in other people and get them involved. We need to connect with people we see as our natural allies but also become allies with people we might otherwise oppose. We all need to look for ways we can support solar and drive it forward, whether by using a SunPort, putting panels on your roof, or just working to make solar more available and achievable wherever you live. SunPort gives you an easy way to get into the solar game, so now be active and involved, rather than being passive on the sidelines.

Thank you again for being our backers and helping us achieve this important milestone. You have gotten us Kickstarted now and we’re on our way! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any reason. Now let’s get on with making our dent in the universe!

Congratulations on such a successful Kickstarter! I can't wait to get my Sunport! It's a fabulous idea, and I've already passed your information along to interested parties in Ghana who are aiming to be part of the solar revolution there :-) All the best! Sara